Archive for November, 2010

From locally grown Christmas trees and wreaths on the outside of the market, to our own apples, squash, and pie pumpkins just inside the door, to our local Country Dairy milk and cheeses in the cooler, to local and Michigan-made jams, dried fruit, maple syrup, honey, salsas, chips from La Fiesta, salad dressings, chutneys, caramel corn, snack mix, pancake mixes and cookie mixes on the shelves, to locally handmade aprons for kids and grownups and great bibs for babies hanging by the cookbooks (some local ones of those, too!), to Michigan-made journals for quilters, homeowners, motorcyclists, cooks, hikers, skiers, pet lovers, and more. . . we have what you need for great gifts this Christmas season! Come in from the cold and browse through our festive displays. Get a free handmade gift tag with any gift purchase, and get a free gift bag (complete with tissue & bow) when you spend $15 to fill it! Many items are on sale, so you can get even more for your money! Enjoy our free samples while you shop, and thanks for buying local and Michigan-made products!

You may be wondering what is keeping Dave busy now that harvest is over. He is enjoying the nice open (no blizzards!) weather we’ve been having this fall. It makes it a lot easier to work in the orchards! Dave is going through some apple orchards and taking out some big branches that need removing. With his years of experience and learning, he knows just how he wants the tree to look, so it will produce high quality fruit. You can train others in the basics of pruning, but you can’t impart years of experience. That’s one advantage to the new system Dave is using now when he puts in new orchards–it’s easier to train people for pruning the trees.

One of the less-skilled (but still important) jobs that is taking place now is that our high school worker is cutting out root suckers. These look like young trees, but they are growing up from the roots. They need to be removed right at ground level, so it’s a job to finish before the snow flies.

We always offer free samples at Rennhack Orchards Market in Hart. Our apple varieties are always available to try, on the fresh fruit sampling shelf just inside the front doors (to your left as you enter). Our sampling station on the wall behind the counter area is used for pantry items such as jams, salsas, and more. Today I sampled Chocolate Chip Cherry Chipotle Cookies. Yes, Chipotle! It adds a surprising kick to these very tasty cookies. We sell this gourmet cookie mix, as well as many other mixes from Creekside Grains in Traverse City. Michael & Loretta develop recipes themselves, with the best ingredients. They tweak them until they are just right! (The rejects got fed to their neighborhood squirrels, which took to peering into the windows waiting for their handouts!) We are happy to carry products that are made in West Michigan by small family businesses.